Nam Xay Viewpoint 20-km hike

We took the lead from our Roomate Leo shared about this Nam Xay Viewpoint in Vang Vieng – Breathtaking Views Over Laos, and hiked 20 km round trip to enjoy the views. Just a few kilometres outside Vang Vieng, there are many fantastic hills with view points worth visiting. We started walking our hostel carrying plenty of water and some snacks. I ate breakfast since my stomach issue has passed after 18-hr of only water and no food.

The first 9.5 km was flat, but the hill is very steep and the stairs are mostly made of the material made available by nature (soil, tree roots, rocks), sometimes of man-made material (concrete, wood). Here and there there is some kind of hand rail made of bamboo, which helps the climbing a lot. My right knee was cut by a piece of rock formation on the way up. I sweat so bad like having a hot yoga class. The top of Nam Xay Viewpoint simply left us speechless as we admired the 360 degree views of the surrounding landscapes filled with jagged cliffs and rice fields. I took photos over platforms around around the jagged limestone rocks at the peak, soaked up the breathtaking views, and then took a nap in the bamboo hut on the peak.

The way dune was not as scary or slippery as we expected, since the trail was dried by the sun. We walked back town, got papaya shake, showers, and noodles soups for dinner (my stomach only takes light food for quick recovery).

I hiked with almost recovered angle, but my stomach acted up since yesterday. Local doctor told me it appeared to be food prison and no food for 24-72 hrs until the pain went away. I had only one of these problems per prior trip, and never sprained my angle when traveling, but I had a bad cold, a sprained angle, a stomach flu, and a knee cut during the first month of this trip.